Bite My Shiny Metal Behind: Wumbo Reviews Futurama... Again

[Wumbo]

Hello folks,

So a while back, back when I actually posted here, I reviewed a few episodes of Futurama. Since then, the topic has disappeared into the netherworld and I honestly don't remember the episodes too well anyway and my opinions may have changed anyway so we're starting all over. This is Wumbo Reviews Futurama Redux: Bite My Shiny Metal Behind. Hoping that gets past what I'm sure are staunch SBC censors nowadays. Now, when and how often will these reviews be coming out? I don't know! I have many responsibilities to cater to before this, so I'm just going to say "whenever I have time and the mood strikes me". That should be sure to please everyone! Now say, what's a dog

Enjoy, everyone!

[Wumbo]

Season 1

Space Pilot 3000

The point of a pilot, above all else, is to introduce the main characters, setting, and get a feel for what the general story will be. In "Space Pilot 3000", we get exactly what we need from this sort of episode. We're introduced to Fry, Leela, Bender, and Farnsworth, showing their basic personalities and how they relate to each other. They set up the future world nicely, too, with a tube system for transportation (something I certainly would want to try out) and an automated suicide booth (so it seems like things really don't get better a thousand-odd years later). Honestly, I'm impressed they got Dick Clark and Leonard Nimoy to lend their voices in the very first episode. Kind of a perk of being the creator of the greatest cartoon of all time, I suppose. The use of jarred heads is a great way for this series to get guest stars playing themselves, and they, along with a rabid Richard Nixon, do not disappoint. What's more is that the episode has a surprising emotional core, taking some time to address Fry's feelings about being transported 1000 years into the future and realizing everyone he had known is gone. A very successful pilot that even manages to get in a few great lines, including Bender's very first "Bite my shiny metal ass!" (sorry everyone), which I'm surprised to find out is his first line ever! I did watch this series before, right? Ah well. Great to experience it the second time, and an excellent start to what I'm sure is a great series to come.

A-

Assorted Quotes & Notes

I like the disgusted local muttering at Fry the tourist for not knowing how to exit the transportation tube.

"By the way, my name's Bender!" Great time to introduce yourself as you're about to get killed.

I like that "Bender" is his name and his job.

"You really want a robot for a friend?" Ever since I was 6!"

"Keep your nose out of this, eyeball!" "No one makes fun of my nose."

[Wumbo]

The Series Has Landed

Another strong outing that tells me that this series is off to a very good start, feeling like it hit the ground running rather than spending too much time being boring and trying to find its footing like most shows in their first season. Seriously, it's pretty impressive to me that the "blackjack and hookers" line appears this early. It really feels like they have the characters and comedic timing all figured out... for the most part.

The Disneyland parody is a fun one, using the futuristic atmosphere to make good jokes with Bender and the animatronics ("I went to high school with that guy"), and using a particularly brilliant reference to The Honeymooners to serve as a plausible origin story for exploring the moon. Who says you can't learn everything from theme park rides? The show then takes another emotional turn when we get another glimpse into Fry's homesickness and longing for a world that makes sense to him. To have the moon landing be such a ubiquitous part of your culture and your parents' culture and then to have it taken away and replaced with tacky amusements a thousand years later has to hit you in the gut. particularly when others don't understand. Leela provides a good counterbalance to Fry in that she doesn't understand what all the fuss is about a dead guy's footprints and a crummy plastic flag. I like how they find common ground in the view from the moon at the end. Speaking of which, the ending. A little rushed, maybe? It ends with Bender singing "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" and them just flying off back to Earth. Nothing more from Farnsworth or Hermes or Zoidberg (very efficient how many characters are introduced in the first couple episodes!) Definitely a nitpick, but for such a strong episode, I wish it had ended on something stronger. Then again, sometimes a weak ending is necessitated by how much great stuff was thrown in previously. For that, I have to be fair and say this episode probably gets another...

A-

Assorted Quotes & Notes

The little head turn before Farnsworth exits the doctor's office - great little character moment that says a lot about Zoidberg as well.

"Hey, you're the unfrozen guy, from the 20th century. right?" "Last time I checked..."

"Can I do the countdown?" "Sure, knock yourself out." "10...9..." "All right, we're here!"

Craterface is a tragic hero of Luna Park. I hope he finds peace.

The reveal that being a folk singer is actually a lifetime goal for Bender and not merely a reflection of the refrigerator magnet screwing him up is funny. Again, the ending kind of muddles the joke, but it's still a quirky character moment.

"You're the kind of guy who visits Jerusalem and doesn't want to see the Sexeteria!"

"What do I look like, a guy who's not lazy?"

"Oh dear! I really ought to do something!... But I am already in my pajamas." And we never hear from him again. Good night, professor.